Panthers defensive end Mario Addison has spent his entire life shedding labels.Now the former undrafted rookie from Troy who was waived by three other NFL teams appears on the verge of joining the upper echelon of the league's defensive ends entering his eighth season.The 30-year-old Addison has slowly but steadily worked his way up through the NFL ranks Womens Torrey Smith Jersey , going from being a special teams player early in his career to a third-down pass rush specialist and finally to an every down defensive end last season. Despite being undersized at 254 pounds, Addison started all 16 games for the Panthers in 2017, registering 11 sacks and 44 tackles."He's been a guy that everybody had tried to knock for his whole career," Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly said. "Everyone has tried to put him in a box and he keeps bursting out of the box that people try to put him in. And yet nobody talks enough about what he has done."All Addison has done is record 20 陆 sacks over the last two seasons and taken a firm grasp on the team's starting right defensive end spot. Not bad for a kid who was so lightly recruited in high school he wound up playing at Northeast Community College in Booneville, Mississippi before earning a scholarship offer from Troy.Addison's NFL career didn't begin to blossom until he joined the Panthers late in the 2012 season.He played mostly on special teams at first, but developed into a situational pass rusher and combined for 12 陆 sacks in 2013 and 2014. The following year he tallied 9 陆 sacks, earning him a three-year, $22.5 million contract from Carolina."I knew I had it me," Addison said. "I just had to show the coaches that I was able to play every down. Every year I grew and showed them that I am worthy of playing every down. It has worked out for me."The knock on Addison was that he wasn't big enough.He regularly gives up 50-plus pounds and several inches to some of the league's gigantic left tackles.But teammates and coaches say Addison has unusual strength and desire to get better that has taken him to another level."I think he's tough Womens Shaq Thompson Jersey , he's physical and he's strong," Kuechly said. "His speed and his strength are a very rare combination. I mean, he has 20 陆 sacks the last two seasons. If you were to say that about another guy in the league, you would be ranking him way higher, right?"Eric Washington, the Panthers defensive line coach prior to being promoted to coordinator earlier this offseason, has been a huge influence on Addison.Addison said Washington gave him the "tools" he needed to add to his skillset and showed him how to use them. Addison took it from there, working day after day to perfect his craft not only as a rusher but as a run defender.Washington talks of Addison like a proud parent, calling him one of the toughest players he's ever coached — both physically and mentally — and saying the motivation of being cut by three other teams has helped drive him to succeed."Every single year he has accepted the challenge of improving and growing Womens Dontari Poe Jersey ," Washington said. "He's always wanted to be a starter and a difference maker."Addison said his personal goal this season is to top 11 sacks.Teammates like Kuechly say that is entirely possible, knowing his motivation."Everything I got now, I worked for," Addison said. "And I value it. Nothing was given to me in this league. Truly everything I got, I earned. Every morning I wake up and I'm driven — I am driven to get better."It’s time to reconsider how we rank quarterbacks ESPN recently released a tiered quarterback ranking after asking 50 NFL executives their thoughts on the current crop of quarterbacks. The way the list played out raises a lot of questions about how these executives view the quarterback position. The problem is not who is listed as a Tier 1 quarterback. The problem arises when considering who was left off of Tier 1, mainly our own Cam Newton and the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson. Part of their own definition of Tier 1 is “A Tier 1 QB can carry his team each week. The team wins because of him.” We have all seen Cam Newton’s entire reign in Charlotte and we know without a doubt that this team only goes as far as Cam takes them. 2015 does not happen if Cam is not Cam. The same can be said of Russell Wilson. Sure, early on in the Seahawks dynasty Russell was a game manager. Since then, and especially last season, the only reason Seattle had a chance to win week in and week out was what Russell Wilson was able to do. Both players led their respective team in passing and rushing yards Womens Greg Van Roten Jersey , and at least tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns. Obviously this says a lot about the other rushing options for both squads, but also speaks to the true danger these two quarterbacks pose. This list really shows how undervalued running quarterbacks still are in the NFL. By throwing out the running aspect of these two offensive weapons, we hamstring our ability to understand the impact they make. Running backs have recently undergone a similar shift. Two of the consensus best running backs in the NFL are Le’Veon Bell and David Johnson. Not many people would argue they are the best pure runners in the league with guys like Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Elliot suiting up on Sundays. But both Bell and Johnson do so much in the passing game that their impact is greater than most other backs. Neither has ever led the league in rushing but are often listed 1A and 1B as the best running backs in the game. The game has evolved and our understanding and valuation of the running back position has also changed. Even though we have changed our views on running backs, we still are dragging our feet when it comes to the quarterback position and it makes no sense. Taking the total package into account, there is no way that Russell Wilson and Cam Newton should be excluded from the tier that clearly states they can “carry their team each week.” Right now they are routinely listed in the same breath as Andrew Luck, Derek Carr, and Phillip Rivers, fellow Tier 2 quarterbacks on this list. Wilson and Newton may be close to those three in terms of passing acumen. But can Rivers win the game against the Vikings with a 61-yard run late in the fourth quarter? Can Carr pull off this miracle against the Cardinals to ice the game late? The game is evolving and we need to evolve with it. Otherwise we risk under appreciating two of the best offensive players in NFL history just because they dominate in a different way.